Pumpkin Gelato vs. Pumpkin Ice Cream

After I made all that pumpkin puree last week, I promised the boys pumpkin ice cream. After all, we have an ice cream maker which somehow didn’t get any use during the summer. But we live in Southern California, so it’s plenty warm enough for ice cream still.

However – among the various food allergies I have to deal with is a partial egg allergy, and I was uncomfortable with the amount of eggs called for by the homemade ice cream recipes I found. In searching for “eggless pumpkin ice cream,” I discovered that most gelato recipes don’t call for eggs, so I decided to make pumpkin gelato instead. If you’d like to make actual ice cream, I thought this David Lebovitz recipe sounded particularly good.

I tried this New York Times Pumpkin Gelato recipe. I loved the texture – even though I’ve made ice cream before, I’m always amazed at how a sloshy liquid can gradually turn so creamy and thick.

The taste of the gelato was unfortunately disappointing. I would add a lot more vanilla, cinnamon and sugar next time. Maybe even use a vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract for added depth of flavor.

The kids didn’t like it either, but I’m very pleased to have discovered gelato for my ice cream maker. A big part of the reason I didn’t make ice cream this summer was the egg allergy concern, and now I have a viable and easy alternative.